Our family history reaches to near the Arctic Circle via Newfoundland and Russia to the island nations of Ireland & England, and sweeps across France & Germany to Eastern Europe and Poland. More than a family tree, it is a grove or forest of trees over the centuries. Our family trees include the Parkers, Butlers, Heits, and Silvermans at the core with branches to the Wilkins, Roses, Kankamps, Micheners, Orrs, Herrings, Milans, Friedmans and more.

Grandchildren Rachel, Jeremy, Sophie & Leah Heit inspired this site; they have been working on family trees for their Hebrew School. Rachel suggested a web site to weave all the strands together into one portrait of who we are, where we came from, and where we're going. On the Parker/Butler side, we have records preserved as early immigrants. On the Silverman/Heit side, many or most records were lost in the Holocaust. We can only imagine all the gifts those ancestors carried in their genes to create such bright & beautiful grandchildren. My daughter, Stacey Cathleen, married Dr. Larry Heit of Brooklyn, NY on August 28, 1994 and converted to Judaism Both are practicing MDs. Her dad was Jewish--Charles Peter Silverman of Flushing, NY so her religious transition was quite natural. Ironically, there was no temple in Hearne, TX where her grandfather William Silverman grew up, so he attended a Methodist Church. Both marriages introduced strong new Eastern European lines to our family tree. I'm still a Methodist but respect all religions that teach principles of love and that worship a Higher Power.

Passports: Land & Sea Crossings

Our ancestors had no passports in the beginning--the 16th Century--only the will to explore a new land and work hard to build homes and families. Some braved the ocean's storms to escape religious and political persecutions. Others came to find work, escape famines, or simply to start a new life in a new land. Our ancestors may not have known language, customs, culture, or geography of the New World--but they knew a family that survives relies on the human spirit as its compass in wilderness.Our family entwines Judeo-Christian roots into the clan we are today. This site is a work-in-progress as I find & scan old photos stored in family archives or relatives' drawers & notesbooks. I welcome new information, comments, and suggestions! --Linda Parker Woodward